CHICAGO — Ingredients and dishes from Haiti, Peru, China, Japan, Italy, and more are forecast to make an impact on US menus and packaged foods in 2025, according to Datassential’s new Food, Flavor, and Beverage Trends list.

“We’ve seen the evolution of many evergreen trends,” said Renee Lee Wege, trendologist and senior publications manager at market research firm Datassential. “Comfort food used to be big, and it’s still a trend, but it’s gone more niche now to be about specific comfort foods. Think of how American comfort foods are getting mashed up with global flavors due to consumers and chefs with diverse backgrounds. For example, how Chinese-American chefs are putting spins on the classic noodle dish chow fun.”

Chow fun landed at No. 3 on the list.

The rest of Datassential’s trending foods and beverages include:

1. Pastina: A category of small pastas that may take on many different shapes and commonly are used in Italian cuisine and comforting dishes such as soup.
2. Sweety Drop Peppers: Also known as biquinho peppers, sweety drop peppers are small, tear-shaped, vibrant, Peruvian peppers known for their sweet flavor and mild heat.
3. Chow fun: A Chinese dish traditionally consisting of stir-fried rice noodles, a protein (often beef), vegetables (such as bean sprouts, bok choy, onion, carrots, broccoli, snap peas, and/or cabbage), and a sauce (typically made of soy sauce, ginger, garlic, peppers, and sometimes sugar).
4. Pikliz: A spicy, Haitian, pickled condiment or slaw made with onions, carrots, cabbage, bell peppers, Scotch bonnet peppers, spices, and vinegar. Datassential’s research showed 34% of US consumers are interested in trying Haitian cuisine.
5. Orange Wine: Also known as skin-contact wine, orange wine is made from white grapes that are fermented with their skins on, imparting color and tannin (bitter taste).
6. Yerba Mate: A South American herbal tea made from the dried leaves of an evergreen tree steeped in hot water; it has an earthy flavor and contains a similar amount of caffeine as coffee.
7. Bonito Flakes: Also known as katsuobushi, Japanese bonito flakes are made from filleted, dried, fermented, smoked skipjack tuna (aka bonito) that’s shaved into flakes that are so thin they appear to dance or move on dishes.
8. Saffron: A spice made from the dried, red stigma and styles (aka threads) of the saffron crocus flower that impart a bright yellow color to foods and beverages.
9. Next-Level Fat Washing: A cocktail-making technique that involves taking a fat or oil (typically melted butter, but in next-level applications, think avocado oil, coconut milk, etc.) and infusing it into alcohol, freezing the concoction until the fat solidifies, and then skimming the fat off, so just the flavors of the fat remain.
10. Short Ribs: Cuts of beef taken from the lower rib area that are known for their rich marbling and tenderness when slow-cooked or braised.

Pastina, chow fun, and short ribs all fall under the category of comfort food, while the technique of fat washing leans on infusing cocktails with indulgent flavors. Wege said this is part of a larger trend of people turning to food as a source of calm amid global turmoil and uncertainty.  

“I think the idea that consumers are treating themselves to little indulgences more frequently to cope with the world around them is going to be really key in the year ahead, and there are many ways operators and manufacturers can lean into this consumer habit,” Wege said. “We found in our 2025 Trends report that 89% of consumers indulge in a food or beverage at least once a week. This behavior is likely increasingly true for consumers — in our 2024 Trends report, 69% of consumers said they ate an indulgent food at least weekly.”

Five trends for the future   

Datassential rounded out its 2025 food and beverage trends with a forecast even further into the future, and these five ingredients and dishes to watch beyond next year:

1. Salted Egg Yolk: Made by preserving eggs in a salt brine, resulting in a creamy, umami-packed ingredient often used in Asian dishes.
2. Suya: Spicy, Nigerian meat skewers featuring a spice blend including ground dried chiles, ginger, garlic, onions, salt and peanuts.
3. Rooh Afza: A South Asian concentrated herbal syrup typically made from a blend of fruits, vegetables, rosewater, water lilies, and herbs like mint and commonly mixed with milk or water and ice to create a cold, sweet, floral-tasting beverage.
4. Sansho Pepper: A spice made from the peppercorns of a Japanese pepper plant that has a strong citrusy flavor and a numbing, tingling sensation when consumed.
5. Ras Malai: An Indian dessert consisting of soft, spongy cheese dumplings (called chenna) soaked in milk flavored with aromatics like saffron and cardamom and garnished with pistachios.